The Kingdom of Stavengar
Background The Kingdom of Stavengar was founded by the Stinheim Clan in the 4097th year of recorded history, as counted by the dwarven scholars, or 4E97 by the dwarven calendar. Stavengar (the city) was founded in south-western Ardunne by King Baldr I Stinheim, set between the outstretched arms of the Cassida mountain. Originally only constructing the fabled citadel of Armok deep beneath the mountain, the city soon outgrew the depths, and spread into the valley outside. Nearly 30% of Stavengaran territory is taken up by mountains, a large number of which are riddled with tunnels and underground cities. These tunnels act as highways that cross the breadth of western Ardunne. The rest of the territory is a mix of rolling plains, rocky hills, scattered copses of trees, and a large archipelago to the southwest. Geography and Climate Nearly 30% of Stavengaran territory is taken up by mountains, a large number of which are riddled with tunnels and underground cities. These tunnels act as highways that cross the breadth of western Ardunne. The rest of the territory is a mix of rolling plains, rocky hills, scattered copses of trees, and a large archipelago to the southwest. Demographics The population of Stavengar, though predominately dwarven, has shifted dramatically since the fall of the Reich and the end of the Seven Seasons War. Beforehand, census records estimate that 98.7% of the population was not only dwarven, but specifically ''Pumilio Stinheim. ''The remainder of the population was made up of traders and merchants living in Stavengar, or near the coast. Since then, however, a recent influx of refugees from Rhiam, as well as mixing between Kaz'ur and Stavengar, have led to a number of different cultures and populations. The current population stands at 4.91 million, distributed as follows: * 78% Stinheim Dwarf * 11% Koragg Dwarf * 9% Human (1% Mu'lakkan, 8% Rhiam) * 2% Orc Stavengar is divided up into a number of diverse cultural regions. Vouno Stavengar the city is located in the Vouno region, home to nearly 25% of the country's population. This region is characterized by the Khorfan mountains, home to mostly rocky hills and rough soil. Little can be grown in this region, leading many to focus on sturdy grains, such as wheat or barley. Much of the exports grown elsewhere in the country cannot grow here, due to the chill weather, and often heavy rains and snows. Culturally, Vounians tend towards traditionalism, as many of the citizens are of Stinheim stock. They also include the most politically active, and the firmest believers in the liberty evinced by the new republic. Paraktia The breadbasket of Stavengar is known as the Paraktian region. Less defined than the other regions, it encompasses the southern archipelago, as well as the entire coastline, wrapping nearly a quarter of the way around Ardunne. Warm breezes from the Rhiam sea lead to almost tropical summers, if very dry, with often wet, mild winters. Paraktia is the leading exporter of grapes, olives, and supports a great deal of the country's population with its fish and seafood. It also serves as Stavengar's link to the outside world, with its numerous ports. This region is centered around the newly constructed city of Ilion. As this region is also largely descended from the Stinheim clan, it holds to traditional mores and activities, though their pantheon is the most diverse in all of Stavengar, a side effect of their openness to outsiders. Pediades To the north, bordering on Kaz'ur, lies the Pediades. The coldest section of the country, it is inhabited by many who remember only too well Borgrek's revolution. Fiery tempers are common here, which, when combined with the strong alcohol many of the residents turn to over the long winters, leads to a number of problems. Still, this region provides Stavengar with some of its strongest soldiers, as well as many of its mineral resources. Aithrin The fields of Aithrin have been the site of some of the greatest turning points of the Kingdom of Stavengar. The largest providers in grains, it is also home to one of the largest concentrations of Rhiam refugees in the world. A number of other ethnicities also mix with them, including those from as far away as Ignis. This is, however, one of the largest regions of Stavengar, and holds over a quarter of the nation's population. Despite the heavy spring rains, mild temperatures lead to a variety of food being grown here, and when many imagine Stavengar, this is the region they think of, thanks in part to a number of landscape paintings created in the 2nd century of the 4th era. Government Kingdom of Stavengar Under the reign of the early Stinheim kings, there was little difference between Stavengar the city and Stavengar the country. Despite numerous outlying farming villages, Stavengar remained, for the most part, a nation-state. Though the city was ruled by a monarch, traditionally a direct descendant of the Stinheim male line. Though the monarch had the final say in all things, he was expected to consult the Senate, which was made up of head members of the one hundred most prominent families of the city. The King would explain his position to the Senate, who would then deliberate, either giving their blessing or condemning the action. Occupied Senate After the fall of Stavengar in 4E152, and the near extinction of the Stinheim line, Kaz'ur elevated the importance of the Senate in an attempt to control the occupied territories. Kaz'ur expanded the Senate to include two hundred members, opening it up to those from outside the city, leading to many from the surrounding villages gaining a say in the ruling of the country. Republic of Stavengar After the return to power of the Stinheim Clan, Guillaume worked together with prominent members of the Senate who had chosen not to collaborate with the occupiers, as well as envoys from the struggling DPF, to reunite the two countries. Listening to the claims of the DPF that a monarch left no recourse for the citizens of Stavengar, the Synod of 4E254 decided to keep the recently enlarged Senate, choosing two senators known for their wisdom, knowledge, influence, and civic pride, to head the nation as Consul. Every 5 years, a new election is held. If a consul dies before his term is complete, the other consul holds power until the next election. In times of great crisis, the Senate may elect an Imperator, a senator with the powers of the old monarchy. He has the right to lead troops, declare war and peace, and pass laws. This position can exist for only one year, after which time the senator elected must step down from the senate, and retire. This new system was cemented with the election of Guillaume and Vicengrin as the first two consuls, and ever since then the elections have continued every five years. Culture Works of Literature The Claudyssey Written by Chaerophon in 4E304, it described the travels of Claudia Stinheim from the fall of Stavengar, as she traveled around the world rallying support for her cause. After nearly 100 years exile, Claudia made her way between the other four dwarven clans, and the allies of Stavengar, before returning home with her son Guillaume, ousting the Kaz'uran Senate and restoring home rule to Stavengar. Collected History of the World Written by Guillaume Stinheim during his education as an exiled King, it details the history of the world, sourced largely on texts found during his travels, and from The Ledgers of Baldr. The Concordiat Written by Dionarchus in 4E464, it was one of the most popular books in Stavengaran history. It focused largely on the Hunger wards spread across the kingdom's borders, satirizing the efforts that went into the research and construction. Religion The dwarven pantheon features a mix of seven major gods and innumerable minor ones, as well as many variations on the major deities. Those central to life in Stavengar include: * Heimdal, God of the Sun * Nott, Goddess of the Night and Darkness * Ull, Patron God of War * Eir, Goddess of Peace * Fulla, Goddess of the Harvest and the Land * Gersemi, God of the Sea * Meili, Goddess of the Hearth Shrines exist to at least one form of these gods in all respectable villages and cities in Stavengar, though many are honored to different degrees. History The Age of Agriculture Six years after the founding of Stavengar, Baldr ordered the local militia to begin an expedition to the south-west, towards the coast on the opposite side of the Khorfin mountain range. The population of Stavengar had grown so high, that the local food production was unable to adequately support the city's rapidly growing population. After the local militia reported that there were no indigenous populations, a small number of dwarven settlers established Colonius Primus, a small fishing village, to provide fish for Stavengar. At the same time, attempts to establish deep mines beneath the city were met with disappointing failure, with numerous cave ins costing many dwarven lives. Over the next decade, the dwarven scholars began work on developing a system of numbering and ledgers, to record both the history of their people and aid the numerous industries present in Stavengar. Work continued on the failed mines, work on the Forum Stolidi began, and it was during this time that the first hints of ancestor worship began to appear, with construction beginning on a number of small family shrines throughout the city, financed by the wealthier clans. Though a breakthrough in the mine brought a much needed infusion of wealth to the struggling city-state, the failure to develop a ledger system left the Forum Stolidi empty, and it was quickly abandoned. By the year 4E114, work continued on the ledger system, with the dwarven elders attempting to codify the vast number of runes existing at the time, as well as standardizing the weights used by merchants to measure goods. The sheer volume of work necessary to complete this task, however, meant that progress was slow. The market remained abandoned, and work on the shrines ground to a halt in honor of the holiday known colloquially as "Brewing Season" left workers too drunk to continue construction. Work on the alphabet was completed in 4E121, though the diffusion of the written language would take another three decades or so. The Brewing Season philosophy of ignoring work in lieu of getting drunk began to grow in popularity, spreading into the dwarven intelligentsia, and leaving the system of measurement unfinished. The shrines remained incomplete as well, with half constructed familial shrines dotting Stavengar. The Age of Expansion Frustrated with the numerous failures within the city of Stavengar, Baldr once again looked outwards to solve the problems of the city. Realizing that the walls of the city were once again bursting at the seams, Baldr called for massive subsidies for colonization efforts. Spearheaded by the Staurakios and Limenius families, three major villages were constructed out on the plains of Aithrin, Colonii Praxus, Lentulus, and Orthos, all of whom became major grain suppliers to Stavengar the city. These towns, located along the southern coast, the eastern slopes, and the southern peninsula respectively, greatly eased the population strain on Stavengar, as well as providing a great deal of wealth for the families centered in the capital. Infuriated by the lack of progress caused by rampant drunkenness, Baldr I banned the consumption of alcohol in the work place in the Edict of 4E135, finally allowing for the completion of the system of measurements and gaining more ground on the diffusion of the alphabet. The crapstone produced in the mines of Stavengar was finally refined into a smith-able material, known as mithral, and dwarven armorers quickly adopted this lightweight but sturdy material as their metal of choice, and quickly distributing segmented armor throughout the kingdom. Though no official military existed, a number of bodyguards and mercenary companies throughout the realm created a great demand for the armor. Baldr also pushed through a reorganization of the clan system, which had not changed since the earliest ages of the dwarven kingdom, into a regulated caste system that allowed for the people of Stavengar to vote on minor matters, and streamlining the recruitment of soldiers in emergency situations. By 4E141, the alphabet had finally been adopted by more than two-thirds of the literate population of Stavengar. Further expansion attempts met mixed success as the dwarves continued their drive towards the Fissure, and the newest village of Colonius Albus earned its name from the colossal sheets of steam rising daily from the cleft, only a short distance away. Attempts to train the Stavengaran militia into an effective fighting force met with a stone wall, however, with the dwarven commander Licentius citing "rampant drunkenness", "ill-preparedness", "disagreeability", and finally "retardation" of the highest order. The fearsome dwarven phalanxes of later years bore little resemblance to the early attempts of Baldr. By this time, Baldr was under a great deal of stress from his northern neighbors, the Ashelani. Though trade routes between the two nations had existed since 4E117, the ever evolving species began to loom large in Baldr's mind. In an attempt to protect his borders, dwarven weaponsmiths developed the sarissa, the weapon with which the Stavengaran kingdom was built on. Work progressed on an adamantium mine, and though the mine was yet unfinished, samples made their way to the surface, causing a great deal of excitement throughout the city. The Brotherhood Insurrection Unbeknownst to Baldr I, Stavengar's lower class seethed with anger over the banning of the Brewing Season. This fury came to a head in the year 4E148 when the Brotherhood for the Brewing Season laid a trap for Baldr, disrupting a parade to celebrate a successful tour of the nation. Diverted down a side street, Baldr and his small guard were ambushed by eight members of the Brotherhood, and though two were slain, Baldr and his four guards were killed before they could escape. The Brotherhood then escaped from Stavengar, with the bulk of their members heading north, to Colonius Lentulus. There, under their leader, Borgrek, they mustered as many of their discomfited comrades as they could, and began to march on Stavengar. Scrambling to react to such a move, Baldr's son Azaghal I took the throne, and desperately sent out missives to the surrounding kingdoms, attempting to reaffirm the strength of his nation in the eyes of the world, in an attempt to head off an invasion at this weak hour of Stavengar. Fearful of sending his people into a bloody civil war, Azaghal also sent envoys to Borgrek, asking him to meet him at the negotiating table and avoid any unnecessary loss of life. Borgrek, distrusting Azaghal's overtures of peace, took control of the Lentulan crapstone mines and began to outfit his new army. By the summer of the next year, his army was ready to march on an unprotected Stavengar. Though Azaghal's attempts at diplomacy had resulted in nothing, Stavengar's southern neighbor, the Rhiam Reich, attempted to aid Azaghal in his struggle. With the Reich's large dwarf population, the public outcry to send aid to Stavengar was irresistible, and when Borgrek's army entered into Stavengaran territory, they were met by heavily armed Reich cavalry. This detachment was led by Duke Adolph, widely regarded as the most skilled general in the western world. The War for Dwarven Ale or The Seven Seasons War As Duke Adolph stalled Borgrek's advance in the north, Azaghal again made overtures of peace towards the Dwarven People's Federation, or DPF. This attempt was met with one of the worst atrocities of the war, and the records are unclear as to who ordered such a heinous crime. The heads of the envoys were returned to Stavengar under the cover of night, being deposited on the palace doorstep in a stone chest. This, combined with Adolph's continuing negative reports from the northern border, led Azaghal to believe that victory could only be achieved on the battlefield. Though attempts to muster a Stavengaran legion to defend his borders was hamstrung by DPF targeting of recruitment centers, Azaghal made one last desperate bid at peace, offering to completely reorganize the government of Stavengar, with Borgrek as an equal partner. Unwilling to simply sit back and wait for Borgrek's response, however, Azaghal made his way north, embedding himself and his bodyguard in the harried expeditionary force from the Reich, which was being pushed back daily under the weight of Borgrek's numbers, and weakened by pinpoint strikes carried out by Borgrek's elite guard. As the reports of an Ashelani attack on Rhiam itself filtered in, along with news of the death of Emperor Eckard, Azaghal knew that action must be taken. Though his calls for the people of Stavengar to defend their homeland had fallen on deaf ears, many dwarves were much more willing to fight those they saw as outsiders, and the Ashelani support of Borgrek's forces was enough to galvanize them into action. By 4E150, Legio I Incudem and Legio II Tonanti had been mustered, and joined "The Grand Old Man", Duke Adolph, against Borgrek's forces. They met at the Battle of Lespodi, where the legions nearly broke under the overwhelming pressure of the DPF charge. Saved by a last minute flanking maneuver by Duke Adolph, the legions were able to repel the assault as Borgrek called his men out of the valley to avoid a disaster. Following this, and with news that Rhiam was secure in the hands of the Reich, Azaghal, flushed with some small measure of victory, went onto the offensive. Supported by the newly formed Legio III Cuersor, Azaghal drove against Borgrek's men. The DPF had not been idle, however, and with the official recognition of both the Ashelani and Kaz'ur, in addition to a great deal of funding from their allies, Borgrek met this attack with numerical superiority. Outfitted with new battle standards and confident in their abilities, the legions of Stavengar slowly pushed them back towards the northern border, supported by Adolph's cavalry, which served as scouts and a screening forced. Over the summer of 4E151, the Erimia campaign was fought, resulting in the eventual destruction of three of the five DPF battalions on Stavengaran soil. Duke Adolph's drawing up of plans to invade the Ashelani homeland was proven premature, however. The stranglehold Ashelani blockade on Rhiam prevented any hope of reinforcement, and seeing the string of defeats suffered by the DPF, the Ashelani and Kaz'ur finally committed troops to the fray. This, in addition to Azaghal's failure at Yal'tan to secure peace by diplomacy, led to Azaghal's retreat from the border, a retreat which would prove to be the end of any offensive efforts by his forces for the war. What followed was a string of skirmishes that led to a valley not far from the Battle of Lespodi, where Azaghal determined he would make his stand. The Battle of Shattered Pinnacle, the bloodiest battle the world has ever known, lasted an entire day, during the winter of 4E152. Even supported by Legio IV Albus and Legio V Corvus, the Stavengaran forces were vastly outnumbered. Worried about the lack of scouting reports on the whereabouts of the Ashelani, Azaghal made his stand on the hill at the far end of the valley nonetheless. Though his defenses slowed the Kaz'ur cavalry, and Stavengaran archers devastated the lightly armored DPF forces, Duke Adolph's cavalry could not halt the charge of the coalition. Stopped by the timely intervention of a task force of Ignati Wings of Death, the forces of the Reich were forced to flee. From that point on, the Stavengaran legions were bombarded into submission by Ashelani artillery, picked off by Ignati forces from above, and finally broken by the combined efforts of a Kaz'ur charge led by Abdid-ibn-al-Walid and the tunneling of Ashelani forces under the hill. The remnants of the legions fled into Stavengar, leaving the Senate to accept whatever terms they could get from the coalition, in the wake of the death of almost the entire royal family. Occupation and Exile The next hundred years, from 4E152-252, Stavengar was occupied by Kaz'ur to the north. Peace was enforced on them by the coalition, resulting in the recognition by Stavengar of the independent nation of the DPF. The Senate, greatly thinned by war casualties, accepted Kaz'uran assistance in the rebuilding of Stavengar, but was for the most part ignored by their occupiers. Kaz'ur seemed content to collect taxes as the Stinheim clan had, spread their religion, and inspect the royal libraries. During the occupation, Claudia Stinheim, at this point pregnant with Azaghal's only surviving child, fled to Rhiam. There she gave birth to her son, Guillaume Stinheim. Finding the Reich on the verge of collapse, she petitioned King Koragg for what aid she could get, rallied a number of dwarves, and fled once again, seeking the remaining dwarven clans. Over the next sixteen years, she went on to visit Clan Vein-Smiter, hidden deep under the mountains of Big Island, and Manuk, home of the Hehrir Clan. After rallying support in Legaros and only just escaping the Legaran Civil War of 4E169, she retired once again to the halls of the Hehrir Clan's fortress to plan her son's return to power. This was disrupted by the beginning of the Age of Immortality, which began in 4E167, but whose effects became more and more pronounced as time went on. Though the ravages of time made such an assault difficult, when Kaz'ur left Stavengar in 4E252, Guillaume was ready. The next year, his forces landed in Colonius Primus, and, relying on speed and brutal torture, quickly drove through the mountains, targeting only corrupt magistrates and pawns of the occupiers. Only two weeks after landing, Guillaume entered the Senate house and exacted his revenge upon those he saw as the "toadies of the golems". Guillaume removed the Senate's ability to interact with the outside world, and resumed control of Stavengar. Republic and Recovery Realizing that the war, Age of Immortality, and occupation had ravaged his country, Guillaume called for a restructuring of the Centuriate Assembly, and a census to determine which caste each citizen should belong to. Attempts at diplomacy between Stavengar and the DPF resulted in reunification of the two countries in 4E257, along with the creating of the Republic of Stavengar, fulfilling the promise of Azaghal some 120 years before. Raising an army to protect the Senate fails miserably, with the Senate stonewalling every attempt to do so, remembering all too well the horrors of war. It was at this time that dwarven scholars discovered a strange material from the Fissure, known as wyrdium, though for the time, attempts to study the material failed miserably. Vicengrin began to truly deteriorate mentally as the Age of Immorality took its toll, and Guillaume assumed leadership of Stavengar as the sole Consul. His attempts to raise an army were once again stymied by the Senate, however, and the construction of Pinnacle National Park, dedicated to those who fell in battle, stalls as the dwarves, starving for food, spend their time desperately searching for new sources of food, that can actually be digested. Following the end of the Age of Immortality, and the death of 90% of the Stavengaran population, including Vicengrin, Guillaume, Claudia, and Guillaume's son Hador, Baldr II Stinheim and Eric Ludendwarf were elected Consul in 4E354. Baldr pushed once more for the construction of Pinnacle National Park, and was delighted by his success, a peaceful valley filled with memorials to the fallen, including his great-grandfather. In the wake of the end of the Age of Immortality, the Senate also proved receptive to Ludendwarf's call for an army to be raised. The Hunger, feeding off the deaths at the end of the Age of Immortality, began to press against the borders of Stavengar, and the Senate pushed for more settlements against the Fissure, away from the Hunger. These settlements would also ideally provide more wyrdium for the Republic, whose scientists had met with some success in using wyrdium matrices to stall the Hunger. By 4E361, the borders of Stavengar reached the Fissure, with the newly constructed city of Ilion providing a great deal of income for Stavengar. This was offset by the spread of the Hunger, which was even then threatening Colonius Lentulus and the vital crapstone mines. The Senate dumped money into the Eir-i, a joint project between dwarven scholars and Len-Scholus of the Ashelani, who desperately attempted to find a breakthrough in wyrdium research that would allow them to stop the Hunger's advance. Initial research seemed to indicate that wyrdium had a dampening effect towards all forms of magic, and that, if powered, it might be able to stop the Hunger as well. Though some negative effects, including insanity, often followed wyrdium, the dwarven scholars seemed remarkably immune to these effects, and the Senate vowed to empty its coffers to fund the project. With the greatest investment in scientific research in the history of the world, the dwarrow scientists used every resource available in Stavengar to attempt to halt the spread of the Hunger. Combining resources from the royal library, efforts by the Anatolikan Church, and engineers from across the kingdom, a vast network of wyrdium wards, powered by ley lines, was erected to guard the borders from the Hunger. In the wake of Consuls Stavrakios and Limenius' great success, the Kingdom of Stavengar rested on its laurels for a time. Though construction of Ilion failed to progress along the expected deadlines, and attempts to hunt or breed animals was hindered by the aftereffects of the Age of Immortality, culture still thrived during this consulship, namely due to the works of Dionarchus, chiefly his satirical text "The Concordiat". By 4E466, a steady flow of adamantium had been secured, though work to use this metal for armor was unable to proceed swiftly. Riding a wave of popularity, the previous consuls once again won reelection, implementing numerous reforms. Staurakios pushed his pet project, the construction of numerous supply depots that improved Stavengar's ability to react to military crises, and allowing for the stockpiling of gear. Limenius' project was wracked by scandal, however, as his proposed cathedral to the Anatolikan pantheon, the Olthoi, stalled due to arguments over a wing dedicated to the Hall of the Five. This was not helped by the appearance of Jim the Mighty, and the turmoil this caused in the pantheon. Following the election of new Consuls, Zirak Stinheim and the re-elected Celino Pavia, worried over the growing arms race across the world, reformed Legio II and III, to serve as a first line of defense in case of attack. Exciting new research by Thrask, a descendent of refugees from the Rhiam Reich, led to the development of Reich-tangles, a morass that, when launched from siege engines, slows enemy advances to a crawl. International Relations Ashelani Though relations with the Ashelani were troubled between the years of 4E148 and 4E351, recent rapprochement between the two nations has resulted in the resumption of trade, the beginning of the Eir-i project, and has culminated within the last five years with the Council of Ilion and the establishment of the PADO, or Pan-Ardunne Defense Organization, leading to defensive pacts, increase in trade flow, and the spread of technological advancements. Kaz'ur The first meetings between Kaz'ur and Stavengar were tense, centered around the Seven Seasons War. Nearly one hundred years after the occupation and the eviction of the Kaz'uran Senate, a Kaz'uran delegation arrived to help Stavengar rebuild and stand against the threat of the Hunger. Since then, close ties have been established between the two nations, leading to the establishment of PADO, extensive trade routes, and even a joint expedition into the Fissure. Mu'lakka Despite Mu'lakka's decision to not enter the Seven Seasons War, a great deal of anger was generated by their embargo of Stavengaran trade fleets during the war. Since the end of the Kaz'uran occupation, however, trade routes have resumed, and extensive Mu'lakkan aid during the ongoing Hunger crisis has served to alleviate much of the ill-will felt towards them by Stavengar. Legaros Though Legaros is a relative newcomer to the world stage, it maintains strong ties with Stavengar, due in large part to its major dwarven population, many of whom fled from Stavengar during the occupation. Trade routes have been in place since as early as 4E252, and joint military exercises have been undertaken, between the Stavengaran Legio I and the Legaran fleet. Derult Contact was not made between Stavengar and Derult until the disastrous Battle of the Shifting Sands. Though envoys were exchanged and the situation was resolved, relations between Derult and Stavengar are confused. Trade routes are in place between the nations, however, and merchants of both nations hope to continue the profitable trade agreements. Hall of the Five The Hall remains a relative unknown to the average Stavengaran citizen. Though trade routes have been in existence since the Seven Seasons War, and were resumed upon Guillaume's ascension to the throne, little has happened to shape their attitude towards each other since the exchanging of military advisors and tech during the Ashelani offensive of 4E152. Ignati Little contact was made between Stavengar and Ignati before the Seven Seasons War. Besides elite Ignati forces serving at Shattered Pinnacle, no political incidents occurred between the two nations. To the average citizen, news that Ignis had fallen had little impact on their daily lives. Rhiam Reich Ties between these two nations were extremely close, with technology flowing freely between the nations. Military support was commonplace between them, and envoys and advisers were common sights during the Seven Seasons War. Since the fall of the Reich in 4E159, an influx of refugees have settled on the plains of Aithrin, bolstering the ravaged Stavengaran population. Lately, there has been a sour note in Stavengar's memory of the Reich, as Emperor Helmut's erratic behavior led to the spreading of the Hunger to southern Ardunne, and the poisoning of the archipelago that provided a large amount of food for Stavengar. Dwarven Clans Clan Hehrir Stavengar acquired the aid of Clan Hehrir during Guillaume's attempt to retake his throne, on the condition that Stavengar in turn assist King Hror in defending his borders against the robotic outlaws who harassed his people. This led to the Battle of the Shifting Sands, one of the worst defeats in Stavengaran military history, and a souring between the two clans. Clan Vein-Smiter One of the weaker dwarven clans, the Vein-Smiters prefer to stay in their fortress dug deep beneath the mountains of Big Island, though they occasionally venture out to trade with the indigenous populations. They also emerged to assist in overthrowing the false Senate in 4E252, and remain close allies with the current Stavengaran administration. Clan Koragg Since the fall of the Reich, much of the Koragg Clan's power has dispersed, with the majority being absorbed by Stavengar, but with refugees spreading as far as Kaz'ur and Legaros. Currently, they are no longer major players in world politics. Clan Rrark Recent events have soured relations between Stavengar and the Rrark clan, when King Vrail III refused to send aid to assist in Guillaume's return to Ardunne during the Age of Immortality, preferring to instead hide in the mountains of Liosa. Since then, little contact has been made between the two nations. See Also __FORCETOC__ Category:Nations of Celtanus